Everybody knowsâor thinks they knowâCharles Darwin, the father of evolution and the man who altered the way we view our place in the world. But what most people do not know is that Darwin was on board the HMS Beagle as a geologistâon a mission to examine the land, not flora and fauna.Tracing Darwin's footsteps in South America and beyond, geologist Rob Wesson sets out on a trek across the Andes, repeating the nautical surveys made by the Beagle's crew, hunting for fossils in Uruguay and Argentina, and explores traces of long vanished glaciers in Scotland and Wales. By following Darwin's path literally and intellectually, Rob experiences the landscape that absorbed Darwin, followed his reasoning about what he saw, and immerses himself in the same questions about the earth. Upon Darwin's return from the five-year journey, he conceived his theory of tectonicsâhis first theory. These concepts and attitudesâthe vastness of time; the enormous cumulative impact of almost imperceptibly slow change; change as a constant feature of the environmentâunderlie his subsequent discoveries in evolution. And this peculiar way of thinking remains vitally important today as we enter the Anthropocene.
- 384 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
Darwin's First Theory
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Information
Topic
Physical SciencesSubtopic
Science & Technology BiographiesTable of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Contents
- Illustrations List
- A Note on Quotations, Spelling, and Names
- Prologue: A Peculiar Obsession
- Part One: Darwin in the Field
- Part Two: Darwin Theorizing
- Part Three: Back on Darwinâs Trail
- Illustrations
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Photo Insert Credits
- Acknowledgments
- Index
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access Darwin's First Theory by Rob Wesson in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Physical Sciences & Science & Technology Biographies. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.